Historic Wild Panda Rescues: Basi, Qi Zai, and Other Survivors
Some of the most famous pandas in history were found near death in the wild — starving, injured, or abandoned — and rescued by villagers and rangers who carried them to safety. This article tells the stories of the most dramatic panda rescues: Basi, rescued from an icy river; Qi Zai, the abandoned brown cub; and others whose survival against the odds became the foundation stories of modern panda conservation.